Fight for Survival
by dr100
Summary: The Doctor, Rose Tyler, & Jack Harkness visit the Scarlet Junction on the outer rim of the galaxy. When the Doctor is trapped, unable to escape a prison, & reason with his captors, it is up to Rose & Jack to free the Doctor from his living hell.
1. Chapter 1: Fear of the Dark

Doctor Who

Fight for Survival

Starring Christopher Eccleston and Billy Piper as the Doctor and Rose Tyler in the hit BBC Television Series

Chapter One: Fear of the Dark

Written By Nathan Mullins

* * *

><p>"Rose, please, there's no escape, I can't get out, I'm trapped behind this shield, so it's up to you, Rose Tyler."<p>

He gave into her desperate blue eyes. Her heart sank as she approached him. Between them was an invisible barrier. She reached forward, but there was a shock, and she staggered back. The Doctor chuckled to himself.

"Why oh why did we have to come here?" he bellowed.

"That's the TARDIS," said Rose. "If she only worked…"

She smiled, and the Doctor gathered her only way of saving him was to leave him behind, but he too reached forward, and held his hand up against the invisible barrier. Rose did the same. Their hands were almost pressed together, and there was a moment of sadness.

"I'm sorry," he said. "When I get out, I promise to take you home, I can tell you've had enough, it's just…" and Rose was shaking her head, trying to tell him she wanted to stay, but he was upset, he had to get this off his chest.

"Doctor," said Rose, pulling away from him, slowly. "I will get you out of there! I promise!"

The Doctor watched as she ran into the darkness.

Then it hit him. It was in the dark.

"Rose, no, keep out of the woods!"

Rose hadn't heard him, and she was already panicking in the middle of the woods. Trees towered over her, but she wasn't scared by their enormity and their very real personas. The trees were alive, and far superior to those she knew on Earth, dull and dead, but these were something new. Almost similar to the forest of cheem she encountered on Satellite Five a short while ago. She felt some guilt, as she passed them. Rooted into the Earth, with no escape themselves, and she thought of home, of her mum - Jackie. What was she doing right now, on Earth, and on her own?

* * *

><p>Jackie Tyler was hanging out her washing on the balcony of her South London flat, when she saw the TARDIS - that great mysterious bigger on the inside blue police box shoot past a flat opposite. "Rose!" she called out, expecting the TARDIS to arrive on her balcony, but not this time. Rose wasn't on board.<p>

As Jackie watched in horror as the TARDIS shot past, a tear ran down her cheek, and she half smiled, knowing her daughter was safe, but upset she had little time to pop back home. It was heartbreaking.

Little did she know that millions of light years away, her daughter was in danger, more so than ever, with the Doctor trapped, and no TARDIS. This was worse than the Slitheen in Downing Street scenario. If Jackie knew, she'd be the first on a rocket to save her, never mind the Doctor.

* * *

><p>Rose ran on. She was panting for lack of breath as she hadn't paused since leaving the Doctor to die. She knew if she was unable to locate the TARDIS, he would die, and there'd be nothing she could do. She'd tried to reason with him, to save him, but he refused. She knew he was up to something, but she wasn't sure what. And it was worrying her, as she journeyed on, and aware also of a presence lingering behind her in the darkness.<p>

She turned around, facing her demons head on. She called out, to alert the stranger.

"Whoever you are, I advise you to keep your distance!"

She was shouting now.

"I order you to keep back!"

She could see nothing, but knew someone was there.

She turned back to face the direction she was travelling, when someone lashed out at her, striking her, until she fell forward, rolled across the sandy terrain, unconscious. Then she was dragged by her ankles, back into the darkness.

* * *

><p>The Doctor hoped Rose would make it to safety, but he had tried to warn her of something out there. There was always something roaming in the darkness. Never a Dalek, and certain the Slitheen were all but defeated in 10 Downing Street, but always something watching and waiting.<p>

"Who are you, Doctor with no name?"

The question was clear, but the Doctor turned to face his captors, and swiftly answered, - "None of your business."

"What are you doing here?"

"Where am I?" the Doctor answered, staring into the eyes of his captors, his own swelling from the heat of the torch light they shone into him.

"You've arrived at your final destination…" someone answered from behind a group of soldiers.

An old man stepped forward in a light blue get-up, trousers, t-shirts, and trainers, and added, - "This is the Scarlet Junction, but when you've been caught, there is no escape, and the journey ends. Had you planned to take a craft out of here, perhaps to the Horse Head Nebula, or the Crab Lights of Cheetah Bay,? You've no chance!"

"Alright," said an officer. "That will be all!"

"No!" shrieked the old man, fighting the men who pushed him away. "NO!" he bellowed, when they shot him.

"So you're prisoners mean very little to you, therefore you're not in this for money, otherwise you'd hold us hostage, unless you're on a killing spree and you're killing you're hostages every half an hour?"

The Doctor was met with the gaze of the officer who had pulled the trigger ending one man's life already.

"Keep your mouth shut!" he ordered.

"Ah, you'd prefer to keep your own gob shut, well… I might have something to say about that!" the Doctor continued.

"I mean it," said the officer. He held his gun up to the Doctor. "I will have you shot next!"

"Is that some kind of a threat?" snapped the Doctor. "You have no idea who you're dealing with!"

"Is that so?" retorted the officer, standing back, to reveal his latest capture, and as two soldiers appeared, clutching a body of a young girl, the Doctor realised it was Rose.

"So you think you've won?" he whispered, forcing the officer to step forward, but with two armed men beside him. "I think there's something you should know…"

"And what's that?" the Officer chuckled, not sure where this was going.

"I'm the Doctor," his prisoner announced. "And I'm not going to let this go!"

The Officer staggered back to his men.

"I want this man put under twenty-four hour watch, and the girl to be interrogated at once!"

Rose Tyler - unconscious, and weak, and unable to pick herself up and fight for her life, was to be taken away from her friend, and executed, and there was nothing the Doctor could do to save her.

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2: Escape Plan

Doctor Who

Fight for Survival

Starring Christopher Eccleston and Billy Piper as the Doctor and Rose Tyler in the hit BBC Television Series

Chapter Two: Escape Plan

Written By Nathan Mullins

* * *

><p>When Rose finally came to, she realised she was strapped into a an upright stretcher, with buckles holding her down, with no chance of escape. Stood still ahead of her, she could make out two figures. Her vision was blurred. She could vaguely remember being attacked, and then… how she came to be trapped was a mystery.<p>

"Who are you?" she yelled. "What do you want?"

As her eyesight slowly improved, she saw the first figure step forward, and answer, - "You are in no position to ask questions!"

"Oh really," snapped Rose. "Where's the Doctor?"

"Your friend is also a prisoner here," said the figure, as Rose blinked and squinted to find a young man in his mid twenties, in a bright red uniform and cap.

"Do you have any idea who he is?" she groaned, struggling in the grip of the contraption she was trapped in.

"Why don't you tell us?" said the young man, arms crossed, and his beady eyes fixed on Rose. He was smiling at her, almost flirting, but she gave him nothing in return.

Rose was silent.

"Or if not who he is, who you are…" her interrogator continued.

"I'm an ordinary South Londoner, with no past, and no future, if you believe how hard I tried at school…"

"I have a feeling she may be telling the truth, Sir," said the figure standing beside the Chief Interrogator, who Rose turned to and glared at, horribly.

"If you are who you say you are, what are you doing here?"

"I don't know," replied Rose. "Blame the TARDIS!"

"And what's the TARDIS?" asked Rose' second captor, fiercely.

Rose said nothing.

"How did you get here?" asked the young man, whose name read as Chief Tom Perry, as Rose observed. The other man, who was slightly older that Tom, had a tag that read Officer Lucas.

Rose kept quiet.

"We will make you talk!" declared Tom, striding forward with something similar to a whip, only a bright red beam fired from it's pointed tip, striking the base of the contraption Rose was strapped in, forcing her to do her best to fight against the heat from the blast.

"You hope to make me talk by torturing me?" she shouted. "You'll kill me! I'm already so weak from my struggle, and your thugs attacking me, and with me stuck in this 'thing', how do you hope to get through to me any other way. I won't tell you anything!"

She saw Tom turn to Lucas, and discuss with him their options. After a moment or so, Tom turned to Rose, and bellowed, "Release her!"

Lucas did as was asked of him.

Rose fell from the straps of the contraption, and picking herself back up, kicked Lucas backwards, sending him into Tom, and in the meantime, Rose made her escape.

Tom struggled to his feet, and shoving Lucas forward, and ordering him to get after their prisoner, crossed the room to a series of control platforms, one being a control to get through to every officer on the base.

"This is Chief Tom Perry," he announced. There was an echo in the room, as the loud speakers around the base reached every officer around, including himself. "I'd like every man available to seek and locate a female prisoner. Find her, and bring her to me!"

There was no response. There was only trust, and Tom knew all his men would obey him. If they didn't, there'd be trouble.

* * *

><p>Of course, the Doctor heard the order, and hoped Rose would be alright, but there'd be no chance of saving him. He knew he was as good as dead.<p>

He was standing in the same spot he and Rose had departed some time ago, and to hear Rose had escaped was terrific news, but would she escape the base. There were men everywhere, all with bright red laser beams, and she was on her own, with very little chance at all.

Suddenly, from the courtyard where he was kept to observe very little beyond the invisible barrier keeping him locked up, he heard a voice calling to him from behind a warehouse some distance behind him, and as he turned, slowly, not to draw attention to himself from the cameras watching him from above, he saw Rose peering behind a barrel, a solider shoot past, and unable to meet her while his bonds kept him chained to the invisible wall, Rose made a dash towards him.

"Rose… no!" he called, pointing upwards, and as Rose turned her attention to the cameras, she realised she was in trouble.

Tom turned to the switchboard filled with monitors of the prisoners, and on their recent trespassers, was the girl and the mysterious Doctor. He turned away to the control platform, and gave his report to all officers, - that the girl was with the Doctor.

Suddenly, all available men rushed to the scene.

"Rose," yelped the Doctor, eyes rolling in their sockets, observing the soldiers from all angles converging on them. "Reach for my sonic screwdriver," he said, all very hush-hush.

Rose did as was asked of her.

"What do I do with it?" she asked him, panicking.

"Release me from my bonds, just how I taught you aboard the TARDIS, left hand down, squeeze it gently, and suddenly, Rose had released him without knowing it. The Doctor, with his hands behind his back, gave the impression he was still in chains.

When the soldiers reached them, they stood guard, waiting for their superiors, Tom, and Lucas. When they both arrived, the stood just ahead of the Doctor and Rose, with their men surrounding them.

"You have nowhere to run now!" declared Officer Lucas. His arms were crossed, and he licked his lips, almost as if he was starving but afraid to show it, but Tom stepped forward, and said, - "Tell us who you are, and your lives will be spared!"

"Why should we believe you?" answered the Doctor, in no mood to give in, and yet he was willing to give those who held him prisoner a chance.

"By now, Officer Lucas here, will have ordered his men to shoot you, but I persuaded him otherwise," said Tom, stepping forward with some confidence. He was well aware that while the Doctor, whoever he was, was tied up, he could do no harm.

"That was very kind of you," said the Doctor, - "Given the circumstances."

Tom shook his head, and reached forward, willing to show some trust. The Doctor refused to shake his hand, keeping his distance, and leaving the trust to his associates who knew the liar in him only too well. The Doctor could tell by his officers faces, they too were frightened of him.

Tom took a step back to where Lucas stood waiting on his orders, and when Tom turned to Lucas with a troubled expression on his face, Lucas had the option to do what he liked. He had the choice of taking the Doctor in for interrogation, or ordering their execution. He chose the latter. His men took aim, and then…

There was an overwhelming gust of wind that blew all rifles from the men's hands, and each riffle fired, forcing all present to duck and squirm, as the Doctor's TARDIS appeared.

"Doctor… it's the TARDIS!" shrieked Rose, when it materialised almost on top of them. When they appeared in the console room, there was some relief they were safe.

Aboard the TARDIS, behind the console was Jack Harkness, and Mickey Smith. They were both smiling, happy to be alive.

"Doctor… Rose… it's good to see you both!" Jack announced.

Mickey ran into the arms of Rose, both relieved to be re-united.

"It's good to see you," she said to him.

Tom turned to Lucas, and ordered him to report to control. "I want the Doctor!" he bellowed. "They must not escape!"

Lucas ran to the control room, and activated the gravitron, a mighty dish that gave all ships little chance of making their escape, and leaving the ground. The TARDIS was stuck, and the Doctor and his friends were stuck too.

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3: Blue Eyes and Prisoners

Doctor Who

Fight for Survival

Starring Christopher Eccleston and Billy Piper as the Doctor and Rose Tyler in the hit BBC Television Series

Chapter Three: Blue Eyes and Prisoners

Written By Nathan Mullins

* * *

><p>The Doctor was hunched over the monitor on the console. It read - <em>'situation dead'<em>.

"What does that mean?" asked Jack, turning to the Doctor, hand patting his friend on the back, concerned.

"It means something's terribly wrong," he answered, looking up, and then turning to Rose. Jack followed his gaze.

"What is it?" Rose asked. "What's wrong? There's something wrong with me, isn't there?"

The Doctor took his hands off the monitor, and walked towards her.

"What is it?" asked Rose.

"Your eyes," said the Doctor. "They're blue…"

"No, my eyes are brown," she said, reaching for her makeup, and looking into a mirror to see for herself. "So how can they be blue?"

"Were you drugged?" asked Jack.

Rose shook her head.

"I was interrogated, though," she said.

Mickey turned to the Doctor in anger.

"Rose was interrogated? Where were you, Doctor?"

The Doctor didn't have time for this.

"Not now, Mickey!"

"Perhaps you can't remember, and it was those who interrogated you to get at me?"

"I don't know," she said, quietly.

"Don't worry," said Jack. "Mickey will stay onboard to comfort you, whilst the Doctor and I do something about our situation!"

"Wait… hang on," yelped Rose, - "I'm not going to stay onboard!"

"Yeah, and I want to do something about this mess too!" insisted Mickey. "For Rose!" he added.

"No," said Jack, and as the Doctor breezed past, he too shook his head, before leaving the console room.

Mickey held Rose in his arms, as they retreated to a chair beside the console.

* * *

><p>As the doors to the blue box fell aside, the Doctor and Jack emerged from within, to face a group of armed men, and two dictators. There around eight of them, including Tom and Lucas, and they wanted answers.<p>

"Who are you?" asked Tom, stepping forward to shake the Captain's hand.

The Doctor whispered who the stranger was, and Jack withdrew his hand immediately.

"I'm Captain Jack Harkness," he answered. "And who the hell are you?"

"I run this base, and the plains beyond. How did you get here?"

"I'm a traveller in space and time."

"And you came here aboard this strange object?" Lucas cut in.

"It's called the TARDIS!" snapped the Doctor. "And tell me, my friend… what have you done to her?"

Tom looked to Lucas, and smiled, mischievously.

"What?" asked the Doctor.

"She's infected with the plague of the planet. She has blue eyes."

"Can we fight it?" asked Jack.

"We have our own laboratories, but we are hardly going to give you access, considering who you are, and what you've done!" answered Tom.

"Just what have we done?" bellowed the Doctor, striding forward angrily, and giving the soldiers reason to take aim. "We came here in peace, without knowing the extent to which you people govern the land, and so on, and so forth…"

He took a step back, so the soldiers would lower their weapons, and continued.

"And now you're holding us prisoners here. I want to know why!"

"Because you've violated laws without good reason, and so you must be punished."

"And the laws are?" asked Jack.

"The laws were left to us by our families who long gave them up so we would continue in their absence. The laws he speak of," said Lucas, - "Are sacred to us. They must not be broken!"

"And without knowing it, by stepped off from the TARDIS when we first arrived, we instantly caused trouble?" added the Doctor. "So immediately, we were not to be trusted."

"Exactly," said Tom, now at ease.

"But there is a cure to save our friend? Why aren't you all infected with this plague?" wondered Jack.

"All who were born here are immune to Blue Eyes. You are travellers. It affects you! Your only hope is to get off this world as fast as you can!"

Tom smiled, again, and again, he had no good reason.

"What is it?" demanded the Doctor.

"You may never leave here!" he told them.

"And why not?" shouted Jack, at the very top of his voice.

"Because we're prisoners of this world, Jack," said the Doctor.

"And when you're executed," said Tom, - "You will have no reason to leave at all."

"You can't execute us without a trail. A trial must take place," said Jack.

"There will be no trial," Tom informed them. "You violated all laws, and so must be executed. This world is off limits to all visitors, and all trespassers are dealt with.

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4: Locked up and clever tricks

Doctor Who

Fight for Survival

Starring Christopher Eccleston and Billy Piper as the Doctor and Rose Tyler in the hit BBC Television Series

Chapter Four: Locked up and clever tricks

Written By Nathan Mullins

* * *

><p>"Search the ship!" ordered Tom.<p>

His officers charged past the Doctor and Jack, and within moments, standing next to them, were Rose and Mickey.

"Lock them up!" Tom demanded.

Lucas and his men led the way inside the base. The Doctor, however, had a plan.

There was a cell for all four of them, all connected, in the vast emptiness of the base. Behind bars, and locked up, Mickey turned to the Doctor, frightened and confused.

"So what now then eh? We're to be executed, and there's nothing we can do!" he trembled.

Rose gave him a look of sympathy.

"Hush, - Mickey, please," Jack moaned.

"Well you don't know what it's like to be away from home…" Mickey continued. "And to be told you're to be executed!"

"Mickey… if I know the Doctor, he's got a plan…" and Rose looked up, and smiled at the Doctor. "Haven't you?" she added.

"Something like that," he said. He was leaning on the brick wall of the cell, thinking.

"Well, what's the plan?" asked Jack.

"Mickey, keep up the pretence…" the Doctor ordered.

"You bet, boss!" replied Mickey.

"Hold on," said Rose, shocked to discover the two were working together. "You mean you've been working on getting us out of here all along?"

"Oh yeah," said the Doctor, smiling. "The guard had the keys to the cell hanging from his pocket, but when he last passed by, he failed to spot Mickey grab at them!"

Mickey dangled the keys from his right hand. The Doctor, Rose, and Jack were grinning excitedly.

"Oh, well done Mickey!" cheered Rose, as she sat on the stone cold floor about him, comfortingly.

"So why the need to keep all this up?" asked Jack.

The Doctor nodded in the direction of the guard beyond the prison chamber.

"He's probably not yet noticed," said the Doctor. "But we can't simply walk free."

"Ah…" said Jack, and then he stopped to re-consider. After a moment or so, he added, - "Keep it up, Mickey!"

Tom was with Lucas in the control room, watching the prisoners from monitors in a tower far beyond their reach.

"We've done extremely well," said Tom, stretching in his seat. He was tired, but relaxed. He had a wild grin on his face.

Lucas nodded in agreement.

"Yes we have, Sir," he answered. He was impressed they had finally pinned all four criminals down.

"What do you think?" asked Tom. "Do you reckon they'll tell us anything?"

Lucas shook his head. "I shouldn't think so, Sir," he replied. "They're stubborn."

"So what have got them locked up for?" demanded Tom.

"I thought so we might torture them…" Lucas answered, trailing off.

"What's the point?" snapped Tom. We know, absolutely nothing!"

Suddenly, the monitors flashed a strange red. Then an alarm was triggered, and an officer appeared on the main monitor.

"Sir… this is the Officer you had put in charge of the prisoner's space capsule. We have a verification. It's a type forty time vessel."

Tom stood up. He mouthed the word 'TARDIS', and turned to another monitor of the bloke in the leather jacket.

"We believe…" said the officer, now greeted by another two men, - "…that the TARDIS belongs to a Time Lord."

"Fascinating," was Tom's only response.

Lucas was looking to him for demands, but he had none.

"Sir?" said Lucas.

Tom's mind was blank. Again, he turned to the monitor of the Doctor, and almost pounced on the screen.

"I have new orders," he announced. "Fetch me the Doctor, and torture the others, and bring me the TARDIS!" he demanded.

"Yes, Sir," answered Lucas.

Lucas rushed out from the room, leaving Tom to soak in the intelligence.

Mickey was still sobbing, when the guard had simply had enough. He marched into the prison chamber, and demanded 'Mickey the Idiot' to keep quiet, when, as he turned to exit, the Doctor - having already unlocked the prison cell, burst out to surprise the officer, disarming him, and instead locking him inside the cell for Tom to sulk over, as he watched the drama unfold from his control tower.

"No!" shrieked Tom, leaning in towards the screen losing his mind. He turned to the controls, reaching for loud speakers. "The prisoners have escaped!" he bellowed. The loud speakers dotted all about the base picked up the rage he felt as he demanded their recapture.

As the Doctor dragged Mickey up from the cell's floor, patting him on the back, and shaking his hand, they heard the order.

"Come on!" said the Doctor. "It's now or never!"

The guard sneered at them from their cell, as the Doctor led the way, rushing from the prison chamber, to a place of safety. Meanwhile, from another end of the base, Lucas and his men were rushing in the direction of the prison chamber in search for the Doctor and his associates.

"Come on," yelled Lucas, pausing so his men could keep up. "There's not much further to go!" he told them, pressing them on.

As the Doctor jogged at a pace he was able to keep up with Jack, he admitted, '"even if we reach the TARDIS, we can't dematerialise!"

"Why not?" asked Jack, worriedly.

"The controller…"

"Tom?" Jack cut in.

"Very good," said the Doctor. "Yes… Tom has used something called the gravitron to keep us all here. If we wish to leave here, we must first deactivate the gravitron!"

"Ah," said Jack. "Would that be a massive dish in the woods beyond the base?"

"It would," said the Doctor. "What if you and I find a way to put it out of action?"

"And Rose and Mickey?" wondered Jack.

"We leave them aboard the TARDIS. This is a job for you and I!"

"You know…" said Rose, just able to keep up. "I can hear you, and you're not leaving me behind!"

"Yeah… me too," said Mickey. "What was all that back there? You and I were a team! That never happens!"

"And never likely to happen again," grinned the Doctor.

"Come on," said Rose. "Let's do this together."

"Alright," said the Doctor. "But it's going to be difficult!"

"You' can say that again!" said Jack.

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5: Adventure and Chaos

Doctor Who

Fight for Survival

Starring Christopher Eccleston and Billy Piper as the Doctor and Rose Tyler in the hit BBC Television Series

Chapter Five: Adventure and Chaos

Written By Nathan Mullins

* * *

><p>Tom watched from the CCTV monitors the prisoners break out through the far exit arena, and jump a fence leading out towards the woods. He grabbed the controls to the speakers. "Lucas!" he yelled, at the top of his voice. "They're escaping, Lucas… you must get after them!"<p>

"Have you any idea where they could be heading, Sir?" asked Lucas, in response to his leader's orders. He stared up into a camera, making contact with Tom.

"They've slipped past you a long way back. They've jumped a fence, and heading now into the woods…"

"I see," said Lucas. He turned to his men, and yelled - "Come on, they're heading towards the Gravitron!" he shouted. "They must be stopped!"

Tom watched Lucas charge in the direction of the prisoners. He observed Lucas as he led his men over the fence, and into the woods, in hot pursuit of the prisoners.

"Any idea whereabouts this dish is?" asked the Doctor, turning to Jack, looking for an answer.

"It's around here some place," said Jack, pausing to take in his surroundings. But the woods were dark. Suddenly, Mickey ran up to the Doctor, completely spooked.

"Mickey… what is it?" asked the Doctor.

"I heard something back there," he said, pointing past Rose to a dark space.

"What sort of something?" asked Jack.

"Like a fizzing sound, perhaps a weapon being charged, or…"

"Okay Mickey, take a deep breath," said the Doctor. "I want you to show me…"

"What?" cowered Mickey.

"It could be the officers from the base," Jack informed him.

The Doctor took no notice of either, strolled past Rose, towards the sound he too now heard from deeper within the darkness.

"It's alright," said the Doctor. "It's the dish… we've found it!"

Jack smiled. He turned to Mickey and shook his head. "Well done, Mickey!" he congratulated him.

Rose and Mickey smiled at one another, before checking this 'dish' out. It was round, small, and not too obvious. It had numerous lights that flashed, and whizzed, and fizzled.

Suddenly, the Doctor heard a crunching of twigs from nearby, and whispered to his friends to duck down. Then Lucas appeared from beyond a hedge Jack could just make out in the darkness. They also held lamps to light their safe passage, but there was no sign of the prisoners.

"Lucas!" cried Tom, a speaker nearby reaching his second in command. "Have you found the prisoners?"

There were no cameras in the area, so there was no way Tom could tell what was happening.

"Not yet, Sir," answered Lucas. "Our men are searching the woods as we speak. It is only a matter of time…"

Tom sneered at the response.

"But don't worry, Sir," added Lucas. "We have his TARDIS back at base, so they must return there to escape us."

"But we hope that will not be the case," insisted Tom.

The loudspeaker cut out.

"Sir…?" wondered Lucas.

The Doctor had cut the communications line from the base through to the woods, and had somehow managed to disable the dish at the same time.

"Come on," said Lucas, pushing on. "We must find the prisoners!"

Mickey, while snuggled under a blanket of leaves beside the bush and close to Jack, nudged up to Rose and asked, - "what did he do?"

The Doctor stared down at him, and said, - "I've used the sonic screwdriver to screw around with the settings," he explained. "The sonic vibrations have not only unscrewed the plating to the dish, giving me access to the controls, but also disabled all functions."

He picked himself up, and brushed off the leaves.

"Come on," he said. "We must find the TARDIS!"

"That's back at the base," said Jack. "And we all know where that will be…"

"Oh yes," said the Doctor.

Tom sat back in his chair, chewing at his nails, and staring at the monitors. They were blank, with next to no activity. All his men were out searching in the woods. Tom was all on his own, except for the blue box beside him. He turned to it, and got up, and felt the feel of the wood, and the hum of the ship within.

"Where are you Doctor?" he grovelled, aloud, and angrily, when the man himself suddenly entered the control tower, full of disgust for the little fellow at the controls. Behind him, appeared his close friends, Jack Harkness, Mickey Smith, and Rose Tyler.

"Hello again!" declared the Doctor.

Tom jumped back alarmed. Reaching for the controls, he suddenly realised they had been disconnected, and turned his attention to the newcomers.

"Welcome," he said. "It appears we have reason to interrogate you after all!" continued Tom.

"No thanks," said the Doctor, pushing past him, alongside his companions. "We're just off!"

"Not without being executed first!" insisted Tom, pulling free from his belt a pistol aimed at the Doctor.

"What happened to you wanting to interrogate me?" he asked.

"Well," said Tom. "Stay and we can talk about it or leave now and I will kill you?"

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Alright," he said, then winked to Jack, who whispered to Rose and Mickey to follow him aboard the TARDIS.

Tom didn't notice his friends slip aboard the blue box, but when the ship began to dematerialise, he didn't have time to catch the Doctor duck before him and jump aboard the TARDIS.

"No!" he cried, charging up to the blue box, but just as it vanished, forcing him to fall flat on his face. "Doctor!" he sobbed, face flat on the floor, kicking and screaming. "I will find you Doctor!" he said, picking himself up, and finding his place at the controls. "I vow to find you, interrogate you, and then execute you!"

The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief at the doors inside his ship.

"Welcome home," cheered Rose, rushing up to him to offer a long, well deserved hug, leaving Mickey somewhat left out.

"Well done boss," offered Mickey, strolling over to him to give him a high five.

And Jack smiled, turned the monitor around to show Tom having a tantrum in the control tower.

"Idiot," said the Doctor. Now then…" he went on. "Where to next?"

"Oh, I don't know," said Mickey, coming up with a suggestion. "How about Earth?"

"Come on, Mickey, we can go anywhere and any when, so why Earth?"

"How about Venus?" said Rose.

"Ah, because women are from Venus?" wondered Jack. "Not from where I'm from…"

"Alright, Venus it is, Rose Tyler," grinned the Doctor, mischievously.

The Doctor set the coordinates, and the TARDIS wheezed and shuddered on its course to Venus.

* * *

><p>Coming Soon: Red Sky At Night - Featuring the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones.<p> 


End file.
